Emerald Sword
by Nick the Raccoon
Summary: Chapter 6: Nack finds himself caught up in strange, ancient prophecies about a mysterious Weapon... but then it all goes terribly and utterly wrong.


Nack's Legendary Tale Chapter 6 Symphonies of Enchanted Lands Emerald Sword By Nick "frwl" Byrd frwl@nothingbutnack.com  
  
Well, here we go, again. Thank you Emachines for being responsible for the loss of my first rough draft of this. cost me an extra 4 months before I could release it! Bravo... All the copyright stuff in the first chapters still holds true here. Roxie and Rex are copyright to Shadow's Girl. Akron is copyright to me. Emerald Sword is inspired by the songtitle by Rhapsody. If I forgot something, scream at me and I'll fix it. Enough intro, more ficage!  
  
Emerald Sword  
  
A cold night of the year 2024 in the heart of Kentucky... that's where the Weasel could be found as he jumped into the back of a hooded truck with an empty satchel. "That's the last of 'em," he sighed as he took a seat across Andre and looked back out of the truck at the complex which he had just laid with bombs.  
"Good," I replied over my shoulder from the driver's seat. "How much time do we have?"  
Nack took a glance at his wristwatch. "Just over two minutes."  
"What?!" Andre replied to the time limit in a surprised panic.  
"Calm down, they have plenty of time to get over here," I reassured.  
"No," Andre began, "We have two minutes to get out of here, not two minutes for them to get here!"  
"1:53," Nack smirked. Andre growled a bit at that, but before he could say anything more, a deep "boom" was heard from the distance.  
I turned to look. "Ah, here they come now!" Out of one of the buildings came two females, Nicolette and Crystal. Crys was leading the way with a small suitcase in her hands, and behind her with a small teargas grenade launcher was Nic. As the two crossed the back parking lot of the complex en rout to the truck, a half-dozen security guards poured out of the building after them. Nic took aim and put a grenade right into the middle of the group, and a cloud quickly enveloped them. After the boom stopped echoing through the night, we could clearly hear the coughs of the troupe; they wouldn't bother us now.  
"How much time?" Nic asked as the two jumped into the back of the truck, each taking seats next to their respective husbands.  
"Enough," I answered as I turned the engine on and hit the gas, sending the sound of screeching tires through the open air.  
"What?" Andre began again, panicking as usual. "What about Calia?"  
"Geeze, Andre, you act like you don't know what we're doing," I sighed back to him. But our truck hadn't gone more than three hundred feet when sirens pierced the air. Sure enough, soon to be on our tails were three patrol cars.  
"It's not polite to tailgate!" Nic yelled as she aimed the grenade launcher and fired. The munition went strait through one of the car's windshield and burst into its cloudy form. Needless to say, the driver was caught quite off guard, and he lost control. The car swerved in front of one of the others, causing a great crash. Two down, one to go.  
  
Calia sat in the dark, quiet room, simply watching what the complex's security cameras were seeing. The one thing that she cared about right then was the truck and the car following it. Her eyes traced their path through the cold night; the destination was in sight. The gate to the complex was wide open. Her finger rested lightly on a large, red button, ready for action.  
A split second before she saw the truck pass through the gate, she slammed the button. "Lockdown initiated" flashed on all the screens. The gate slammed shut right behind the truck, actually touching the bumper in the process. The chasing car didn't get that opportunity however. Calia smiled; she had done her job to perfection, nothing less.  
"I'll leave you to shut everything down," she laughed as she turned to a single guy who was tied and gagged, only able to watch what she did. "Oh, and enjoy the fireworks.!"  
  
"Cya!" I laughed out loud as I watched the gate close behind us, causing the car to skid to a stop to avoid hitting the barrier. Everyone in the car began to laugh as we watched the driver get out and gave the gate a kick. just seconds before a firewall blasted through the night, cutting the complex in two. We couldn't help but cheer; mission complete. Well, close enough anyways.  
A few minutes passed as we drove along the streets of Kentucky before we pulled into the parking lot of a medium-sized mall. Everyone jumped out of the truck and formed a small circle in the light of one of the lamp posts.  
"Ladies and gentlemen," I began, pointing to the suitcase in Crystal's paws, "Congratulations; we hold in our possession the Secret recipes of the food chain: Kentucky Fried Chicken! Our employers will no doubt be happy.!"  
Before I could continue, Nic took off her Stetson and pulled a CD out of it. "As will anyone who eats at our house! It never hurts to keep a 'backup' of valuable computer data!"  
Crystal laughed out: "I hope you plan on sharing that wealth!"  
"Well," Nack laughed lightly, "We DO live under the same roof. It's not like she'll be able to keep it a 'secret' for long!"  
"I don't get you guys!" Andre spoke at last, seeming to ignore our conversation. "You're ready to celebrate while Calia, Nick-your own wife, is still back there?!"  
"Calm down, Andre!" I shot back. "We all had a part to play in this mission, myself, you, Calia, all of us. You did your part perfectly," I said as I patted the hood of the truck, "and that's all you have to worry about!"  
"But your wife!"  
"C'mon Andre," Nack broke in. "She'll have no trouble what-so-ever escaping with the hell that's been unleashed back there. They'll be too busy putting out the fire to worry, or even notice probably, a single lady."  
Andre sighed, giving in to our side of the argument. "Well, if you say so. but it just seems that we did this with so much brawn and not enough brain!"  
"Sometimes, my friend, that can be the best way to go about things," I answered to his comment. "And before you say, 'not always,' I'll say, 'this was one of those times.'"  
"We aught to get going," Crystal said, resting her arm around Nack's neck. "We don't wanna leave Trent with your dirty ol' cousin any longer than we have to!"  
"I second that," Nic agreed as she ran her paw through her hair before replacing her hat back on her head.  
"Make that a third and a fourth from Calia," I laughed. "Of course we owe them." With that I tossed a roll of ten $20 bills to Nack. "It's worth it, eh?"  
"O'course," Nack smiled. "Well then, I guess that we'll see y'all in a few days.?"  
"Beyond all doubt," I answered, then turned to Nic and Andre. "C'mon, it's time to go pick up Calia. After all, she is my wife."  
So we split up into two groups: Nack and Crystal from Andre, Nic, and me. While we headed one way across the parking lot to a small, non-descript car which could comfortably seat four people, Crys and Nack went the other way to the Marvelous Queen. Don't worry about the truck; as I've implied earlier, we had all our bases covered. and the police would be in for quite a surprise when they traced it back to a small military compound.  
"Hmm." Nack sighed contently as he got on the front of the bike, "'twas worth it, 'twas worth it."  
"Yeah, I can taste that recipe already!" Crys laughed, getting behind him and wrapping her hands around his waist.  
"Don't forget the cash! And hold on." Nack replied as he hit the throttle and speed off into the sky en route back to Texas.  
  
The rest of the night on our end was fairly uneventful. With some effort, we managed to pick Calia up, undetected. Nack and Crystal didn't have much of a night either. Their flight got them home by early the next morning. It's not that I was silently sitting in awe of what private jet- flight could do, but I had yet to get my hands on one at that time.  
The two entered the house quietly. no one home, it seemed. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Crys asked softly.  
"Time for Andre and Nic to get their own house?" Nack answered with a smile.  
"You're a beast," Crystal laughed back.  
"Let's hit the hay," Nack yawned, slowly walking towards their bedroom. Before he got there, he paused in front of their small sofa, which sat up against the wall. With a few seconds of mindless speculation, he threw himself upon it with a sigh of contentment.  
Crys was at the door by this time. "What? Well, who's gonna keep me warm then?"  
Nack cracked open a lazy eye. "That's what the covers are for."  
"Sometimes, Nack," she said, walking over to him and lying down next to him, "you can be so impossible."  
Nack opened both eyes and gave the echidna a nice smooch to the cheek. "Oh, you're so romantic," she added, sarcastically, before the two caught some z's.  
A pair of burning red eyes watched the two carefully from the dark corner of the kitchen.  
Morning manifested itself a few hours later. 11:30 the clock read as the two sat up and yawned. "Let's go get our son," Nack said simply.  
So they did thus. after a light breakfast and a quick shower (don't look at me like that). Three knocks with his gloved fist Nack lay upon the door to the Whipped Cream Avengers' "hideout," if you could call it that. Several seconds passed with no answer, and right before Nack sent a second volley of bangs at the door, it cracked open to reveal a single Rocky McCallon with a bloodshot eye which seemed to struggle to stay open. Rocky looked at his cousin for a few seconds before seeming to snap back to life, and when he did so, he grabbed Nack by his chest-fur and pulled him close. "Never," Rocky growled, "Never ever again.! It's not worth it!"  
"Yeah, we'll see about that," Nack growled back as he pushed Rocky back. "And besides, are you sure it ain't worth it?" he added as he tossed the small roll of money to the wasted weasel.  
"Hmm." he hummed as he unrolled it all, seeming slightly refreshed. "It's a start."  
"Don't mind him," another voice came from inside. Angel, Rocky's own wife, stepped into view: "He just isn't a kid's person. He has a tough enough time handling our own." She was referring to Rex, her own son. The kid was young and troublesome, and it's no wonder once you look at his father... "Rambo, on the other hand." just then, Rambo came into the room, practically laughing his head off while three small weasels clung to him, two lavender ones on his legs and one powder blue one on his tail. Malik and Gracie, Andre and Nic's twin children, and Roxie who was Rambo and Thorn's daughter. They were cute; Malik with a hairstyle similar to his father's, and Gracie with one much like her mother's ponytail. As I said, real cute, but often with more energy than what was good for them. Roxie made quite a mix too. She had her father's powder blue fur, but her mother's flaming red hair. And as with the DuBois kids, she had her share of energy.  
"Hey, you two," Crystal smiled, "Keeping out of trouble, I hope!"  
"Yes, Aunty Crys!" the two answered in unison.  
"Yeah, they're no trouble at all!" Rambo laughed. "You should go on missions more often; this was a real blast!" At that, Rocky threw his hands into the air with a groan, walked into a small, dark room, and slammed the door behind him.  
"Yeah! This is more fun than the Fourth of July!" Roxie agreed.  
Then, another small weasel came in the room. Fur white as snow and bearing a set of black crests on both of his arms along with a simply beautiful set of perfect blue-green eyes... that was Trent, Nack and Crystal's son. "Daddy! Mommy!" He laughed as he caught sight of his parents.  
"There's my lil' man!" Nack laughed, stooping down to hug his son. Then when he was done, he added: "I got a surprise for ya!" With that, Nack took off his Stetson and placed it on the child's head. The oversized hat drooped down below Trent's eyelevel, but he quickly fixed it and smiled, revealing the family birthmark; the legendary Fang.  
"Come'ere you!" Crystal laughed at her child's appearance as she picked him up. "You had fun?"  
"Yep!" Trent answered. Just then, another child wandered into the room.  
A snow fox she was, but with quite a funny little twist. She had a raccoon's mask and ringed tail! That would be Christine and my perfect little daughter. She wore a pale green dress and had her mother's light- blonde hair and my brown eyes; I couldn't have asked for a better combination of genes myself. "Aww, Trent!" she whined, "You aren't leaving already are you?"  
In response, Trent stuck out his tongue and made some silly little noises. "Trent!" Crystal rebuked, "That wasn't very nice! Say you're sorry!"  
"Sor-ry!" he laughed, hiding his face in the hat.  
"So what have you been up to?" Nack asked.  
"Aunt Thorn and I were just making some cookies!" Aunt Thorn. I shudder to think where she got that one from, but it's good to know that she kept herself out of trouble.  
"Good luck with that!" Crystal replied. "Now, we should get going. Your mom and dad will be here to pick you up in a few days, OK? And sooner than you know it, you'll be able to play with Trent again!"  
"Ok, that'd be great!" she smiled with joy. So everyone said their final farewells and the trio were on their way back to their house.  
  
"So, you had fun?" Nack asked as they entered the house, not paying much attention to anything else as he closed the door behind them.  
"Yep!" the weasel answered.  
"I hope you didn't eat too much junk though," Crystal said.  
"I didn't," Trent sighed. His eyes wandered a bit as he said so, and something caught his attention. with the point of his finger, across the room. "Hey, who's that?"  
Nack and Crystal's eyes followed the finger's direction quickly and met with the red eyes of a tall, very dark echidna. Both were caught in surprise; Crystal shielding her son in fright and Nack taking a step forward. "Who are you?!" Nack yelled.  
"Good day, Nack the Weasel." The echidna took a few steps into the center of the room and smiled wickedly. "I think you may have some information I need."  
"What are you talking about?" Nack shot back, and again, this time pulling out his stunner, "Who are you?!"  
"My name is Akron," he said matter-of-factly. "Go ahead, fire it, see if I care."  
So Nack did. Twice. But both times, the echidna named Akron seemed to not even feel it. "Pathetic."  
"Get the hell out of my house!" Nack snarled as he ran forward. Two punches the weasel lashed out with, but both were dodged by Akron's incredible speed. A third was launched, and this time Akron caught it with his bare hand and twisted it into a tea-kettle wrist-lock. He laughed as Nack winced in pain, kneeling down, unable to do anything against the power.  
"Stop it!" Crystal screamed, running forward and grabbing Akron's arm. Akron pushed Nack to the ground and turned to Calia. He extended his arm so it was a few inches from her chest, and a ball of pure energy shot forth, knocking her back against the wall.  
"No!" Nack yelled as he watched his wife slump to the ground with a whimper. Then, turning to Akron: "What did you do to my wife, you son of a bitch?!" This time, Nack sent a kick towards the echidna's side, but the blow was blocked.  
Akron then grabbed Nack by the throat and held him up in the air. "It's a good thing that you're immortal. Now, where is it?"  
"Where's what?" Nack managed to say, straining.  
"Where is the Emerald weapon?"  
"What? The Chaos Emer."  
Akron then slammed Nack's body into the ground with massive force. "No you fool!" Akron yelled, "The Emerald Sword!"  
"Stop hurting my daddy!" Trent's voice came. The small weasel ran up to the echidna and gave him a kick to the shins. Akron, in response, picked up Trent and threw him harmlessly onto the couch. Then, he was about to turn back to hurt Nack further when a gunshot rang out.  
Akron quickly ducked and looked at where the shot came from. Crystal, panting, stood with the smoking P99 in her hands. "Get. out." she growled.  
Akron turned to her and stood a few more seconds, smiling evilly. "Very well; but next time I come around, I want to know where that sword is." With that, Akron stepped through the front door of the house and seemed to disappear, but no one noticed.  
"Nack! Nack! Are you alright?" Crystal cried, running to his side.  
Slowly and painfully, the lavender weasel got to his feet, clutching his side. "What. What does. it mean?"  
"You're hurt!" Crystal cried as she led him to the couch to lie down.  
"I'll live," Nack grunted as he collapsed onto the sofa.  
Nack was quite beat up, though I'd hesitate to call him as much of a bloody mess as the time he faced Metal Sonic. Still, you don't just walk away from such a beating. "Is Daddy gonna be ok?" Trent asked quietly as Crystal attended to Nack's wounds.  
Nack sat up a bit and answered, with a small, weak smile: "I'll be fine! Don't ya worry about me," Before he fell back again. "Hmm... well this sucks."  
Crystal walked into the kitchen and returned a few seconds later with a glass of water and a dose of Acetaminophen. As Nack downed it all, she asked, "What was he talking about... that-Emerald Sword?"  
"I don't know," Nack answered, sitting up with some effort. He took the P99 in his own hands and cocked it. "But one thing's for certain... if he really does come back, I'll make sure to drop some lead in his skull."  
  
A week passed. "Someone broke into your house and beat you up?" I asked as I sat across from him at his kitchen table.  
"It wasn't that simple," he answered. "The guy was unnaturally strong... impossibly fast..."  
"Yeah, it feels that way sometimes. I've seen lots of skilled fighters..."  
"Skilled enough to dodge a bullet when they don't even really know it's coming?"  
I turned to see the bullet hole in the far wall of the room. "Really? well, maybe it was just a miss."  
"How about strong enough to stand through not one, but two, stunner shots?"  
Again I paused to think that one over. Nack's stunner, a super high voltage pistol, was strong enough to drop even the worst brutes out there with only one shot... "Alright, you got my interest, so the question now is 'Why?'"  
"I don't know," he answered simply.  
"Well, I doubt that anyone would just break into this house for the simple task of beating you up, even if you are known as one of the toughest cookies on the face of this planet... you must know something more."  
"His name is Akron, or so he said."  
Akron... Akron... something about that name rung a bell, but at the time I couldn't place my finger on it. "Keep going," I urged.  
"He said he was looking for the Emerald weapon."  
A deep fear arose in my heart when he mentioned that. It was because I knew that, if he was telling the truth, evil omens were upon us. "The Chaos Emeralds?" I asked, playing dumb, hoping that he would agree with me and therefore defuse my fears...  
But even if you do not fear, the danger can still be there. "No, he called it the Emerald Sword."  
I stood up and paced around the table a few times, silently. Nack didn't like that, so he also remained quiet. "That isn't very funny," I said at length.  
"What do you mean?" he answered innocently.  
"You're joking with me, aren't you?" I insisted, hoping that he would answer "yes." "Tell me, where did you hear about that?"  
"You think I'm lying?" he answered angrily, rising from his seat. "You think that the hole in the wall was just a mishap? My injuries," he continued, pointing to his slightly blackened eye, "some sort of joke?"  
"No, no I don't." I answered without hesitation. "But then again, it would have been better off it what you told me were a lie, for as long as you are here, you and your family are in mortal danger."  
Nack glanced out into the living room to see Trent playing with Christine. His family, in danger? The natural urge of him as a husband and a father told him that he would die before he let anything happen to them, but that seemed highly likely after what had happened earlier. "What do you mean?" he asked, concerned.  
"I don't know yet; I need to find out more. Nack, tonight you, Calia, and I are heading back to San Francisco."  
"What?" Nack asked, "But what if that Akron guy comes back here?"  
"Trust me Nack," I said, placing my leather jacket on my shoulders, "If he comes back and you aren't here, your family will actually be safer. I can't explain why this is... yet. That's the other reason why you must come."  
"And what if I decide otherwise?"  
"Then..." I looked back out to see Trent running away from Christine, who was holding a doll in one hand. "Then you may have to watch your own family die."  
Silence. Expressionlessness, then a shiver so slight that one could hardly notice that the weasel had even moved.  
"You understand the seriousness of this matter even if you don't understand the 'why.'" I looked up to the clock. Crystal and Calia had been gone shopping at the mall for the past two hours. "Don't worry about packing your bags; but we must leave as soon as possible, when they get back.  
"I still don't get you," Nack said, scratching his head a bit. "Why is all this happening; what is this Emerald Sword thing; how am I involved...?"  
"So many questions that I can only half-solve now," I said simply. "What is the Emerald Sword? How are you involved? Those questions are linked so closely in symbiosis that I may never be able to answer either within my lifespan... but why is all this happening? That answer has been the same from the first days; everything happens because it was meant to happen. Nothing can change that."  
"So, you're saying that it doesn't matter what everything else means? We don't have a choice and that we simply gotta go with the flow...?"  
"No, Nack. We aren't going with the flow. We are the flow."  
"Yeah, well, I never was that good at understanding that kind of philosophical crap," he replied simply, taking a sip of his drink.  
"Lol," I said without thinking.  
He looked at me hard for a few seconds before saying: "Did you just say 'lol?'"  
"Hmm... I guess I did," I replied.  
"Full of it," Nack laughed. "You're simply full of it!"  
  
And so we headed out to San Francisco via car. The travel through the desert between Texas and California... it is something that I love and hate. One can never pass through those endless planes without being mystified deep down inside... often too deep to be noticed; there is nothing like it. So vast but, seemingly, powerless... but the numbers of those who underestimated the power of the desert and perished because of it is not a surprise. If you've ever driven through the desert, then you know that this is also the reason to hate it. The drive is long and your car turns into nothing short of an oven... Ah, I've sidetracked...  
Again we sat at a table, sipping down some coffee while making small talk as we played some card games. That didn't matter, of course... we had much bigger matters to deal with, and I eventually got to them. "The Emerald Sword, Nack," I started, "I don't know why that Akron turned to you to look for it, but he must have had his reasons."  
"I really don't see why," Nack sighed. "I never was good with swords; I'm a sniper, y'know?"  
"Yes, yes," I answered. "But, like it or not, you are involved in this... it's simply time to find out to what degree."  
The weasel sighed. "Great. You know, I really don't want any part of this..."  
"Life sucks, get used to it," I cut him off, sharply; then I changed subjects. "Tell me, have you seen her? The black sorceress?"  
"Black sorceress? No, I don't know any 'black sorceress.'" He sat a few seconds in silence. "The closest thing I can think of is my aunt, Lucretia."  
"Go on," I goaded.  
"She practiced Black Magic. Scary stuff, but she never got the best of me with it... I killed her."  
"Hmm... that's good news." I paused after saying that. "Well, it isn't good news that you killed your own family member, but it's better than what I thought would have happened."  
"How so?"  
I stood up and began my pacing again. "There is a prophecy that we know of. It speaks not only of the Emerald Sword, but of a dark king and a dark queen, but in order for the queen to be with the king, she needed to commit suicide first. But, seeing how that you killed her, this couldn't happen, now, can it?"  
"She did commit suicide," Nack replied. "She used me to kill herself."  
"Ah," I said softly but sharply, taking but a brief pause in my pacing. "Then we may have some issues." At this point in my pace, I was directly behind Nack, and I stopped. "Tell me, Nack, do you remember what I told you all those years ago about struggling?"  
He hadn't been watching me; no, he had given up that long ago. His ears perked up. "What's that?" Something about that line brought an unpleasant feeling into his heart, but he couldn't immediately put his finger on why, but when he did, he flew up, sending the chair he was sitting in to the floor. He spun around to see me putting a small, metallic object in my pocket.  
"Oh Nack, now you won't have enough energy to throw a witty comment at me."  
He reached up and felt his neck. Indeed, there was a dart, which he promptly pulled out. Before he could do much else, his limp body fell to the floor, knocked out cold by the drug.  
"What happened in here?" Calia asked as she ran in the kitchen.  
"Sorry, honey," I began explaining, "But Nack and I have some business to take care of elsewhere... Take care of yourself for a few days, won't you, darling?"  
She sighed. "Where exactly are you going?"  
"We're heading to the Base."  
"Can't I come along?"  
"Sorry," I answered. "Things are different this time."  
I smiled as I got up close to her. "I kiss you," and I did give her a small smooch, "And say 'Farewell, I love you' with all my heart, for it may be my last chance." It was my customary way of saying goodbye to her.  
So, she gave her customary answer: "Come back in one piece."  
"If it's up to me, I will." With that, I lifted the unconscious weasel and draped him over my shoulder. "The lil' guy's heavier than he looks," I mumbled as I headed out the front door.  
  
When Nack finally came to, the first thing he saw was the peaceful, late afternoon sky. Slowly he sat up and shook the rest of his sleepiness off. He had been lying on a cot, and as he looked out around himself, he took in his surroundings. For as far as his eye could see, there was nothing but an endless plain of short, brown grass. One thing caught his attention, for in the middle of the plain was a building of sorts. It looked massive, made out of a strange mixture of stone and metal in the shape of a pyramid of sorts, but the top half seemed to be cut off. "Ah, you finally woke up!" my voice came from behind  
"Next time you try doing that to me, I'll make sure you don't wake up," Nack yawned as he turned to us.  
There we sat at a rectangular table, me at one end and a gray wolf at the other end. "That'd be quite a feat," The wolf jibed as he threw a pair of dice onto the table. He sighed lightly for a second, obviously disappointed at the outcome of the roll, and then turned back to Nack. "So this is the new Master? Tecumseh was it?"  
"Don't call me that," Nack snapped.  
"It's ok, Nack. He didn't mean a thing by it. It's just a custom for us to call the Master of Time by their middle name." I rolled the dice and picked two checkers off of the board with a smile. It became evident to the weasel that we were playing Backgammon.  
"Make an exception for me, eh?" Nack followed up. "You can call me Jet, if you'd like."  
"Very well, Jet," he answered, rolling the dice and making his moves. "Ah, but how rude of me, I haven't introduced myself! I'm Tim Draxler, former Master of Time."  
"Good to meet ya," Nack smiled. "But... Former Master of Time? but that would mean that you would have to be like forty years old or something; you look hardly half that!"  
"Actually, I'm fifty-five."  
"True," I said. "It's hard to understand and we haven't proved why yet, but something about becoming Master keeps youth with you for a very long time." With that, I rolled the dice and moved off two more pieces. "Good game," I laughed as I reached over and shook Tim's hand.  
"Indeed. Now, let's head in; you told me that you have important issues, correct?"  
"Yes," I said as I stood up. "We would have gotten to them sooner, but the effects of the drug were quite extreme this time. Nack, you slept for nearly two days!"  
"Well, who's fault is that? I wasn't the one who sneaked up and put a tranq in my neck."  
So we started across the field towards the complex. "By the way, where are we anyways?" Nack asked.  
"Good question; we're in Antarctica, about twenty miles south of the Byrd Surface Camp" I answered.  
"But isn't Antarctica frozen over?"  
"Yes," I laughed. "You know about Station Square though, right? Well, this place isn't much different. It has a fake sky and climate controls and all that stuff. It is also fully hidden from the rest of the world."  
"Makes sense, but what exactly is this place?"  
"This is what we like to call the Base of Time," Tim answered. "We use it to carry on important matters. This is nothing short of a citadel."  
Within a few minutes, we stood in front of the building. A door which appeared to be nothing more than a section of wall opened up and we stepped in. Nack looked around the large room we entered with awe. Computer screens and flashing lights and other such things lit the room up as about forty or so workers tended to them. Many of those workers, however, were more interested in Nack. "Rumors" of his Mastery had been going around, but nobody had really believed them until now. "You see Nack," I began. "We have to keep a mile ahead of the rest of the world as far as technology is concerned. However, some relics of the past can't be replaced."  
We led the way past the room and through several narrow corridors until we reached our destination, a large room that seemed to lack metal. It was composed of black and white marble. At each side of the room, there was a threshold which led back into the corridors. At each corner, there were two pillars, and the center of the room was a large alter of sorts. "Well, sit down," I suggested as we got to the steps, and Nack did so. I pulled out a small radio and spoke into it: "Lockdown sector."  
The doors at all ends of the room shut quickly, but quietly. "Well Nack, no doubt you have to be wondering why we brought you here."  
"What is the Emerald Sword, Akron, etc.?" he asked.  
"Exactly," I laughed.  
"Well Jet," Tim began. "Where shall we begin but the beginning? There is an ancient prophecy, but we have lost most of it. This prophecy speaks of the Emerald Sword. It is the ultimate weapon, and that Akron fellow seeks it with all his will."  
"So why does he ask me for it like that?" Nack questioned.  
"That's where you are involved. He probably knows more of the prophecy than we do. Thus, he targeted you for a reason. You are more than likely the one who was meant to wield it."  
"Yeah right," Nack laughed. "I don't know nothing about swords."  
"That doesn't matter, Nack," I replied. "I bet you hardly know how your jetbike works, but that doesn't stop you from needing or using it."  
"Now, there are a few other details that we know of," Tim began again. "One of them is this, the thing that gives all the prophecies their validity: the Dragonflame." With that, he brought out a necklace of sorts, and the centerpiece of the necklace was what looked like a hollow gem that burned bright orange, red, and yellow. "We don't know what it's for, but the prophecies tell us that it will be one of the things that will bring Akron low."  
"Then there is the witch that I told you about," I broke in. "She killed herself, and she seeks the Emerald Sword. Akron and your aunt serve an evil spirit named Kron, the ancient, bloody god of war. Nothing less than Satan himself I think, but there's no real proof of that one. If they get the Emerald Sword...."  
"You see Nack," Tim came again, "The Emerald Sword has the power to either bring or damn evil of this world. It all depends on who holds it. If they get it, the Queen of Darkness will manifest herself with her King, Akron. And with them, the gates of the damned will be opened on Mobius."  
Nack growled. "I don't want this responsibility! I'm a bountyhunter for crying out loud, why do you think that I have any part of this?"  
"Our feelings don't define who we are, Nack," I answered. "And as for your part? Well, we'll just have to see about that."  
"Moving along, we know of one more detail of the prophecy. There is a dark being named Dargor. We have no idea who or where this person is, but it is clear that which ever side gains him will have the advantage. He is the ultimate warrior, a life-force which earth has never seen the likes of before. He, coupled with the Emerald Weapon, may spell the end of our planet."  
I laughed. "For all we know, you are this Dargor. Or maybe I am? Maybe Andre, maybe someone else who we don't even know about. You see? We are still in the dark almost as much as you are."  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Nack sighed. "Armageddon and the end of the world and all that jazz... I'll believe it when I see it."  
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" I asked. "It's time to get that Weapon."  
"Right," Tim replied. Then he pulled out a handheld radio and spoke into it: "Open the portal."  
The center block of the alter rose a good seven or eight feet out of the ground to reveal itself as being hollow, like a doorway. And in that doorway was a glowing sphere. "I'm sure you're familiar with these portals, Nack," I started. "After all, you used them to hide the Chaos Emeralds all those years back."  
"Yeah yeah, don't remind me," he mumbled as he faced the portal.  
"Hey!" Tim yelled before Nack walked through. Then he tossed the Dragonflame to Nack. "You never know exactly how much you'll need."  
"Couldn't hurt," Nack replied as he slipped the necklace under his hat. Then he stepped though the portal...  
The next thing Nack knew, he was standing in a strange cave. It was made out of a blue and green crystals; never before had he seen anything quite so beautiful. As he looked around, he was surprised to find that there was no real source of light, but that the crystals seemed to give off their own eerie light. The air was dead still, and the only noise which echoed on and on was the sound of Nack's boots hitting the floor as he waked down the tunnel. Nothing, no life. The tunnel seemed to go on forever, winding as it continued forward.  
After several minutes of the lonely walk, Nack paused. "What exactly am I supposed to do?" he asked himself out loud. He turned to look back the way he came, then to the path that lay in front of him. Both seemed endless and Nack couldn't think of any way out. "Durn it," he said under his breath as he walked forward.  
But he hadn't taken more than five steps when the ground, to his surprise, caved downward. Nack found himself sliding down a narrow shaft at a high speed. He was barely able to keep his terror-induced scream suppressed as the shaft twisted further and further downwards. Then it came to a sudden end.  
Nack flew through the end of the tunnel and landed on one knee. Slowly he stood up and looked at what lay before him. The ground was smoother than before, but it still gave off the strange light. He was in a large, open area, but this time, something told him that he wasn't alone. Slowly he turned around, and several yards away were four pairs of glowing eyes. "Who's there?" Nack demanded to know.  
"We are the guardians," four unique voices said in unison. "The guardians of that which you seek."  
"The Emerald Sword...?" Nack followed up.  
"Yes," The strange voices came again. "We were put here to make sure that only the one who was destined to take it progresses any further in this Enchanted Land."  
"They told me that I would be able to take it."  
"Maybe, but first you must prove it."  
"Prove it? How?"  
The four beings came forward, revealing themselves to be ghost-like creatures; in appearance they were nothing more than dark shadows. "You must prove yourself by defeating us!" At that, one of the specters launched itself at Nack, and in turn the weasel ducked as it passed over him. The ghost stopped, turned around, and came flying back. This time, Nack tail- jumped over it, and it took its place back with the other three.  
"Is that all you've got?!" Nack taunted as he raised an interested eyebrow. The three ghosts that didn't attack smiled and descended through the floor, disappearing from sight. Nack's wits were about him again, unsure what they were planning.  
"So, you've come seeking the Emerald Sword?" The still visible ghost began. "Tell me, boy, what makes you think that you were ever destined to even see it?"  
"They told me to get it," Nack answered without delay.  
"So, someone told you to come and you obeyed," the specter replied, taking a few "steps" forward. "Did you ever consider the fact that they were just using you? that you, to them, are just a tool?"  
"No, they wouldn't do that; they're my friends."  
The shadow laughed at him. "Your 'friends'... I can see inside your heart; don't hide it... you hardly know them! And the one you know best- Nick, is it?- is a raccoon? You truly trust a raccoon... That's not a very wise move. And he's proved it to you, right? He'll shoot you in the back given the chance."  
Nack stood silent, contemplating those words. Maybe he was right; maybe I wasn't trustworthy. After all, I never did ask Nack to trust me, I never ask that of anyone. But there was something about it that Nack knew wasn't right. He knew that we wouldn't have him hand us the Knife that we would stab him in the back with. "What makes you so certain," Nack retorted, changing the subject, "that I'm not supposed to hold that Sword?"  
"In this place, it is nearly impossible to be certain of anything," the ghost answered dully. "But there is one thing that we are certain of, and that is that we are here to protect the sword. But you don't seem good enough to penetrate this protection, do you?"  
Before Nack could realize the meaning in those words, he found his arms held fast. Two of the ghosts had taken on some sort of physical form and Nack was unable to break. He was only able to struggle for a few seconds before the ghost he was talking to took flight at him. It flew strait through his body, causing a very irritating sensation, like cold mixed with electricity. And as the shadow passed through his back, Nack slumped over. It felt like all the power had left his body, and it took all his will to stay awake against the overwhelming urge to pass out right there. "You don't kill easily, do you?" the ghost's voice came. "Why is that?"  
"I am immortal," Nack struggled to say.  
"Oh really? Well then, how and why did you come to this level of life?"  
Nack drew several deep breaths while tears, sweat, and fatigue poured over his body. "If you really can see my heart... then... you should know..."  
"You grasped that truth faster than I thought you would..." The ghost laughed, but was interrupted.  
They say that one's will, if strong enough, can defy almost anything. This was nothing short of that as Nack whipped his tail to the right, "tripping" one of the specters that held his arm. As it fell, it lost its physical state and went through the floor again. Nack punched at the other ghost, but it decided to give up it's form rather than take the blow. Nack was free, but only for a short while. The third ghost popped up behind Nack and grabbed him, trapping his arms to his body. Two of the other ghosts approached, ready to smash him with physical blows, but Nack just kicked them away. It took little time for Nack to realize that he couldn't break the grip forcefully, but one way seemed possible. He kicked his leg backwards, causing himself to flip. At the point when he was fully upside down, the ghost lost it's grip and went flying.  
He didn't receive any time to recover from the incredibly stressful activity, however. While the sound of his heart pumping seemed to overwhelm everything else and his sight was beginning to give out, he could feel something bad coming. Again he sprung upwards, just in time to avoid another one of those energy-draining attacks. Nack landed facing one of the ghouls, so he sent a punch strait forward. It connected with the being's face, and sent the ghost to the floor. It gave the weasel a second's stare, and then slipped up through the ceiling.  
Again, Nack got a bad feeling about his position. He crouched down low as he spun around. As he did so, he felt three distinct knocks against his tail as he tailkicked the three remaining ghosts. They retreated through the floor, leaving Nack to himself. The weasel panted as he shot glances around the area rapidly, looking for where the ghosts might appear next. "Why don't you just give up?" one of the voices came. "Why don't you just go back and tell your 'friends' of your failure?"  
Nack felt like collapsing right then and there as the words echoed though his head. He spun around to look at the source, and when he did so, he found himself face to face with the ghost. But from Nack's point of view, this ghost was upside-down... the ghost which had slipped through the ceiling was now no more than a few inches away. Before Nack could react, the specter cuffed him with one hook-punch to the head, which sent the wasted weasel flying.  
Nack came to a skidding halt on the floor. As he lay there, his will told him to get up and fight it out, but his body told him otherwise. He could barely move his arms, barely move his legs... his face was turned towards the ghosts. He watched their slow approach, and just as soon as they took no more than three steps, they stopped abruptly, shocked by something. "It cannot be," one of them said  
"But, if what we see is true, then we have no place in this battle..." another voice came.  
"I see now... this weasel was not tricked... he is the one who was destined to come here after all..." After these words, one of the ghosts approached Nack and stooped down. Nack was powerless against anything the ghost was about to do, so he didn't struggle. To Nack's surprise, the ghost helped him to his feet and, as he did so, his strength seemed to return to him. Nack jumped back, unsure what was happening, but when he looked at the ghosts, they too were slowly retreating, not able to keep eye-contact with him. "Your hat... the Dragonflame..." those were the only words that the ghost said. Nack felt his head; indeed, his hat had been knocked off. As he stooped down to pick them up, something happened. The Dragonflame caught his eye now... it was burning very brightly. Slowly he picked it up and put it around his neck, followed by the hat which he replaced on his head.  
"I wish you strength in the future," One of the ghosts said solemnly. "Hard times await you... that is one of the few things I can be certain of."  
"Where's the sword?" Nack asked.  
Suddenly, before a second more could pass after he said this, the cave seemed to melt into nothingness, and Nack found himself floating on an island of light surrounded by an ocean of pure darkness. It took his eyes a few seconds to accept the sudden change from dim to light, but when it happened, he saw more than just the island. He was standing on the edge, and towards the middle stood a small, old man, or something close to that. "Nack the Weasel, Master of Time, I welcome you," the stranger greeted warmly.  
"Where am I... where did the caves go?" Nack asked.  
"That is not a relevant question now or ever more. The caves no longer serve any purpose and therefore are not worth worrying about."  
"I don't understand, what is this place?"  
The man stood there quietly for a few seconds. "Very well, since you are so set into finding out the truth about your position, I will tell you. It will be hard for you to understand, in all likelihood, but you did ask. We are in a point where there is no time. We are standing where you stood just as you fought those ghosts. That happened so long ago but at the same time so recently that things have entirely changed but the memory is still fresh in your head." Nack looked nothing short of confused. "You see, to put it simply, ever since you went through that portal in the Antarctic Citadel, you have been beyond the gates of infinity."  
"You were right," Nack sighed, "I'd rather not know."  
"There is no way for you to know because your mind is bound by the parameters of infinity. To understand this, you would need to go beyond that."  
"Are you saying that your understanding does that?" Nack asked.  
"Yes. And thus, the answer to your next question which is 'How?' can be answered simply: I was made this way.  
"But now, let us get to the real reason you are here..."  
"The Emerald Sword," Nack said simply.  
"Yes, that is what you seek and that is what you must receive."  
"Where is it?" Nack asked again.  
"It is here," the man said as he stepped off to the side, revealing that the sword was behind him. It was there, embedded in the platform of light. Nack's eyes were drawn to it. The pommel was a ruby connected to the golden hilt by beautiful silver working. It's hilt was golden, shining brightly, so pure that it seemed almost clear, the most refined gold that Nack had ever set his eyes on. The cross-guard was more gold, but it was adorned by a dazzling number of diamonds, which perfectly reflected the light of the area. The blade was the most marvelous part of it, however. Purest, greenest Emerald, seeming to give off it's own radiance. It was double edged, about four feet in length. This, to Nack's eye, was the perfect example of a full mixture of beauty with lethality.  
Nack walked up to the mighty weapon and gripped it slowly. But, before he pulled it from the light, he turned to the man. "What is it's purpose?"  
"It is a lead instrument in that Symphony that is not present here... it is one of the objects that time will turn around; that history will remember. You've heard of the 'prophecies.' I tell you the truth, I am the one who communicated what I saw to the prophets."  
"Then you know where all this is going? Tell me then," Nack asked, "What will happen after I take this Sword?"  
"It is not a requisite that you know what tomorrow holds for you."  
"Is it a requisite for me not to know?"  
"Time makes us live the tale already told. What benefit would you gain by knowing the future?"  
Nack was silent for several seconds after this before saying, "Understood." With that, he withdrew the Sword from it's platform. As the tip showed itself, the platform grew dimmer, and the sword grew brighter. Then, a few feet in front of the weasel, a portal opened up; his ticket home.  
"Before you go," the old man interrupted, "Don't forget the sheath." With that, he handed Nack a beautiful sheath for the sword. It was gilded wood- light, but durable, it would be able to serve it's purpose.  
"Also," the man continued, "Whenever someone crosses from the planet that you call 'Mobius' to this place and back, they tend to dream dreams that are more than dreams... I pray that you're dreams will be peaceful ones. May strength ride with you in the future."  
"Thank you," Nack answered. Then he turned to the portal and took a deep breath.  
"They are waiting for you... they need your help." For some reason, those words struck fear into Nack's heart, but all he could do was nod and step through the portal.  
  
The next thing Nack knew, he was standing back in the citadel right where he had went through the first portal. But there was something different. It was darker, and the sound of a siren could be heard. He was alone, but the place was still locked down. Slowly Nack descended the steps, but before he got far, a loud explosion rocked the room. Nack quickly turned to see one of four doors blown away, and as the dust cleared, an all too familiar figure came into view. Akron, who was wearing a long dark cloak, was approaching and had a sword of his own.  
"Good evening, Mr. Weasel," Akron began simply. "I see you brought me the sword; thank you."  
"This isn't yours!" Nack growled as he unsheathed the sword and held it out, ready to fight.  
Akron laughed. "Do you even know how to use that?" Without anything else, the black echidna approached. Nack wound up and took a swing with the Sword, but it was so sloppy that Akron saw it coming from a mile away. He ducked and quickly popped back up. It was his turn to slash, and all Nack could do was hold his Sword out to block the attack. Three slashes Akron sent towards the weasel, but none of them hit. Nack wound up for another big slash, but Akron simply laughed as he struck Nack in the chest with such force that it sent him flying off the platform.  
Nack landed with a thud and slid until he hit the wall. Slowly he stood up to face the echidna again, but someone stopped him...  
I opened the door nearest Nack and walked to his side. "Give me the sword," I commanded.  
"What?" Nack asked. "Why?"  
"You wanna beat that guy?" I replied, sternly. Slowly, Nack handed the sword over. Then I turned to face Akron. "You know, a true swordsman doesn't attack someone who doesn't have any skill."  
"And I assume you have some?" Akron laughed.  
"Yes I do. So, you are the legendary Akron? King of the darkness, eh? I guess that your reign is about to come to an end..."  
"You wouldn't be so cocky if you weren't holding that sword in your hands!" Akron hissed.  
"You're probably right, but that isn't the situation right now, is it?"  
"You say that you can kill me, but does that matter?"  
I laughed. "I hear that you know the prophecies better than we do. Tell me, what does it say about the one who retrieved this Emerald Weapon?"  
Akron smiled wickedly as he glanced at Nack. "They say that I shall kill him!"  
"You're a liar... tell me, how can you kill anyone if you are dead yourself?!"  
At that, I ran up the alter and attacked. One quick slash I unleashed at Akron, but he was quick enough to block it. He then attacked, with two slashes which I also blocked. Then he thrust the sword at me, but I managed to dodge it. I wasn't much of an honorable fighter, so I took advantage of his suddenly vulnerable position and punched him strait across the jaw. He fell to the floor with a yelp and dropped his sword. Quickly I picked up his weapon and jammed it through his cloak into the ground, trapping him.  
"You wanted this sword quite badly, so I'll give you the honor of dying by it!" I raised the sword over my head, ready to deliver the final blow, but something caught my attention... behind me, the cocking of a pistol...  
I spun around and held the sword to protect my face. I managed to get a glimpse of a dark and hooded figure; one of Akron's followers. The first shot rang out followed by the sharp ping of the bullet ricocheting off the sword. I ran towards the shooter, blocking three more bullets with success, but at the fifth shot, as I stood ready to cut him down just a few feet away, there was no ping...  
I brought the sword down and cut him between the neck and the shoulder, and he fell, dead at the slice. I ran back to Nack and shoved him through the door, locking it back down in the process. "Take the sword," I moaned as I handed it over and grasped my left arm. Indeed, the bullet had hit directly and had cut through the bone. "This way," I said as I pointed down the hall.  
"Where are we going... are you going to be ok?" Nack asked.  
"We're heading to the armory!" I answered. Slowly I reached in my pocket and brought out the radio. "Byrd to armory: get me a pistol, first aid, body armor, and the strongest stimulant you've got! I want them ready ASAP!"  
"What are we gonna do?" Nack asked, confused by my orders.  
"WE aren't gonna do anything," I answered as we rounded a corner. "You're going to take the Emerald Sword and flee; I'm staying behind to help stop them."  
  
"What? You can't do that, you're wounded! Let me help..."  
"No! for one, you'd get lost around here faster than you would take down any intruders; and second, you need to take the Sword out of here!"  
Nack growled. "You're saying that I can't handle myself here, eh? You think that all my years of bountyhunting..."  
"Please," I interrupted as I opened a door marked "ARMORY". "Just do it."  
He looked at me sharply for a few seconds before shooting off a quick and angry "Fine."  
"Good." As one of the medics wrapped my wound up in temporary bandages, I yelled across the room: "Tim! get over here!" Within a few seconds, Tim was at my side. "I had a feeling that told me something like this would happen tonight, so I came prepared." I reached in my pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper. As I handed it over to the wolf, I gave the instructions: "Quickly, escort Nack to the back helipad. Get him to that address and stay with him; make sure that the Sword is never out of your sight. Get my family there also, along with yours Nack." With that, I stood up and grabbed a laser-pistol off of a gun-rack. "If you don't see me in exactly ten days from now, I'm dead."  
"Understood," Tim answered with a small nod, and turned to Nack: "C'mon, we'd be best getting out of here now."  
Nack took a few steps with the wolf before turning back to me. "Nick, are you sure about this? It doesn't seem safe for you."  
"Safety," I answered as I stood by the door which lead back into the infiltrated citadel as I inserted a syringe into my arm, "Is not an issue right now." The stimulant quickly took effect, and soon I found myself running down the hall with a small force of armed troops.  
"Good luck," Nack said softly as he knew I was out of earshot. Tim lead the Weasel through the dark corridors and ultimately to the outer sections of the complex.  
As the two jogged to the helipad, on which was readied a small transport-copter, a voice shouted through the night: "Nack the Weasel! Thinking of running, are you?!" Nack and Tim turned to see Akron standing at the entrance to the citadel. Nack drew the Sword, prepared to fight if he had to. "What are you gonna do with that? Really, if you won't hand it over to me now, I have no choice but to take it from you!" As he said that, he brought his hands up in front of his face and a bright, red ball of energy formed between his fingers. Clearly he was preparing to launch it at the two...  
But then something that none of the three could have predicted happened. The ball of energy, to Akron's utter despair, diminished in size to nothing more than a small and harmless spark. At the same time, the Emerald Sword glowed as red as the setting sun, and all three could see it. Nack smiled. "No. It isn't yours." With that, Nack swiped the sword through the air in Akron's direction, and a burning ball of energy shot from the mystical Blade. It hit the ground less than a few feet in front of Akron and engulfed the entire front of the citadel in a fiery explosion. Nack let out a quick, impressed laugh as he looked at the true power of the Emerald Sword, and then turned back to the transport-copter. But before they took off, the voice shouted out through the now bright night again.  
"Nack the Weasel! You hear me?!" Akron was standing amidst the flames, seemingly unaffected by their fierceness. "So, you are able to use the power of that sword to absorb my power and send it back at me! Ha! I shouldn't have expected less from that weapon. But you know, such a possession is not meant to last in your hands for long!" Nack simply watched over his shoulder as Akron's flaming eyes burned holes into his head. Then Akron let out a hate-filled laugh and smiled wickedly. "If you value the lives of your wife and child at all, the next time we meet, you will bow before me as you hand that sword over to it's rightful owner! Just keep that in mind..." As he said those final words, a large chunk of the citadel's damaged wall fell by Akron, and the flames intensified tenfold. Without thinking much more about the echidna's words, Nack turned back to the transport and entered.  
  
Two days had passed since the incident at the citadel, and that time was filled with chaos and a whole lot of travel for Nack, his family, and mine. The address that I gave to Tim lead them to a most inconspicuous place, a small Motel 6 off of Interstate-40 in the middle of Arizona. Nack and Tim decided amongst themselves that, while it didn't make much sense where they were sent, I had chosen the location because I believed that Akron wouldn't think to search for the Sword there. They were right.  
Nack did just as he always did when spending the night in a motel in the middle of the desert; he watched the endless rows of cars push onwards through the expanse of land. This night, though he remained quiet, peace was not in him or anyone else for that matter. He hadn't explained to anyone what had happened.  
Calia came and stood next to him on the balcony that night. For a few minutes, she gazed out at the horizon with him, but there was no way she could get the question off her mind. "What happened?" she asked.  
Nack turned to look at her for a few seconds, then gazed back out to the highway. "I don't know."  
"You were there, you must know something," she responded. Again, Nack looked at her. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes, making the weasel very uncomfortable. The last thing he wanted to do right then was make her cry. But how could he withhold what he knew?  
"We were attacked," Nack began. As he continued, he pointed to the Sword that was slung over his shoulders. "They came to get this. As Nick was fighting with them, he was shot..." Nack stopped, unsure on how to continue.  
"Is he dead?" she asked in a sorrowful whisper.  
Nack bowed his head, looking at the floor as he tapped the toe of his boot on it. How could he answer that? He couldn't seem to decide what words would work right then. "I don't know," he said at length. "He said that we would know exactly ten days after all that happened. That means that we have eight more days..."  
"What?" Calia asked in shock. "If he was able to talk, why didn't you bring him along?"  
"He wanted to stay..."  
"Didn't you try to convince him to come along?"  
"I tried..."  
Calia walked down the balcony a few doors and stopped at her room. She turned to Nack, who could now clearly see the tears streaming down her face. "Well, you obviously didn't try hard enough!" she hissed.  
"Calia! I'm-" but Nack was cut off by her as she slammed the door. "Sorry... ah, durn it..."  
"Give her time," Tim said simply as he watched the horizon from even further down the hall. "She's mourning. For all we know, her love has died."  
"Love," Nack said emptily. "What do you know about love?"  
"I know that it's the greatest joy-bringer, but at the same time it can be the cause of the most pain." Tim turned to look at Nack. "I thought a smart guy like you would've figured that out."  
"Well, it sure as hell is true," Nack laughed half-heartedly as he gazed back at the horizon.  
  
Twenty-four hours passed. Nack hadn't seen Calia but twice since their earlier conversation, and both times, when she looked upon the weasel, it was pain-filled and quick. Nack wished that he had dragged me on that copter now, and he would have if he'd have known what would have come of it.  
It was late-night now. Nack was still empty-mindedly watching the road. A door opened and closed behind his back. He didn't know who it was, and he didn't really care; it wasn't his room he was standing in front of. For all he knew, it was a stranger, but what was about to happen reassured him that he knew this person.  
The sound of a pistol cocking behind Nack's head brought his attention. Without turning, he decided to play along and put his hands in the air. But to Nack's surprise, a familiar, female voice came to his ears: "Six-hundred seventy-five thousand dollars... what made you think you had any right to touch any of it?"  
Nack spun around and smiled as his eyes confirmed what he saw. Nova Morgan, a green weasel who Nack had run into on missions before, stood there looking a tad less happy to see him. "Nova! Long time, no see!"  
"Yeah yeah," she said as she put the pistol away and looked over the horizon with him. "So, what's new?"  
"Nothing much," Nack answered. "Well, not much that you could relate with, that is." She simply laughed lightly at that. Nack continued: "So, what's up with you?"  
She smiled. "Just got done with a mission, successfully of course."  
"That's nice!" Nack answered.  
"Yeah... you know, I though that stealing stuff from a maximum security prison would be a lot harder than it was."  
"Impressive," Nack replied, raising an eyebrow.  
Another door down the hall opened and Crystal emerged. "Nack? Who ya talking to?"  
Nack simpered a bit; he realized just then that Nova had no idea that he was married. "Nova Morgan, may I introduce you to my wife, Crystal?"  
Nova gave a quick look of disbelief at the two, then laughed a bit. "Let me guess, a joke, right?"  
"Nope," Nack answered.  
Nova looked back at them. "Fang the Sniper... married? Well, I can't say that I saw this one coming..." Then she extended her hand to Crystal. "Nova Morgan, bounty-huntress," she introduced.  
"Crystal the Echidna," she said as she took Nova's hand, "Wife of the crafty weasel himself."  
"Crafty indeed!" Nova laughed. "Did he ever tell you about the mission we went on quite a few years back?"  
That comment made Nack feel like he was standing on burning coals. "Oh really?" Crystal returned, raising a suspicious eyebrow. "No, I don't recall him telling me that one."  
"Oh, Nack," Nova replied, "How could you have not told her about that exciting mission?"  
"I guess I never really got around to it," Nack stammered.  
"Yes, well, I'd simply love to hear about it," Crystal returned. "Well, I guess it's about time to turn in for the night. It's been a pleasure to meet you... Come on Nack." With that, she turned and walked back to their room.  
Nack was about to follow when Nova spoke: "Goodnight, Fang."  
He turned and faced her. With a small smile, he gave his response: "Bitch."  
Nova simply laughed. "I guess we're even now... Six-hundred seventy- five thousand dollars... and it was worth every penny."  
"Fine then, even." Nack extended his hand. Nova hesitated at first, then extended hers and shook his. "Goodnight, Nova." With that, he turned and walked to his room, ready to tell his story in full.  
  
The next week passed slowly. Calia still couldn't look Nack in the eyes, Nova stuck around and told Nack about her latest missions (most of which truly did impress Nack), Crystal got on pretty friendly terms with the green weasel, Tim spent his time either locked up in his room or scanning the horizon, and Gracie and Trent continued to have a grand time by playing every imaginable kid's-game in the book. Slowly, but surely, the tenth night was upon them.  
Again, Nack was standing alone on the balcony. As midnight approached, Calia slowly and quietly came up next to him. For several minutes, she just stood there, looking out over the desert. "A lovely night tonight, isn't it?" She said finally.  
"Mmm-hmm." Nack hummed as a response.  
"The stars are shining bright, it's warm, there is peace..." She laughed a bit, but Nack could tell that she was once again fighting back tears. "I'm sorry Nack. It wasn't your fault; I shouldn't have gotten mad at you."  
"It's ok," Nack replied. "You had good reason to be angry."  
"Can you forgive me?" she asked, looking at him with her tear-filled eyes.  
"Of course," Nack answered.  
"Nack, I... Thank you." After she said that, she threw her arms around him and cried over his shoulder. He patted her on the back and rocked her slightly in his arms, trying to help comfort her. He had learned over the years that accepting a friend's tears in such a way was a thousand times better than trying to stop them. The two were too rapt in the moment to notice a figure in a trench-coat and Stetson walk past and enter one of the rooms.  
"I'm sorry Nack," she apologized again. "This is why I knew that we couldn't be together... I was to afraid of what would happen if I lost the one I loved."  
"I don't blame you," Nack replied. "It doesn't make much sense to get involved with someone like me, but love can over power that logic."  
"I know," she sighed. "Still, I was somehow unable to avoid that which I dreaded most."  
"Sometimes we can't avoid things like that," Nack followed up. "Time will flow the way it wants to flow. There's ain't nothing to do but to go along with it."  
"Quote the Weasel: 'I was never that good at understanding that kind of philosophical crap.'" Well, to the snowfox and weasel standing there, not paying enough attention to what was happening around them, that voice came as quite a shock. Both spun around to face me as I took off my Stetson. "Beautiful evening indeed, eh?"  
Calia took a step forward, quivering a bit, unsure if what she saw was real or not. I smiled lightly, and at length she decided that I was real enough. Her first reaction was to slap me right across the face. "Don't you ever do that to me again!" she shouted angrily.  
I just sort of stood there, confused. "Alright, I won't," I answered.  
Then the second wave of emotion passed over her, and it seemed that no force on Mobius could stop her from wrapping her arms around my neck and laying kiss after kiss on my face. "I thought I'd never see you again!" she cried.  
"Same here," I sighed. "Quite a lot's happened since I left you last."  
"You beat them?" Nack asked.  
"Beat them? That's not quite accurate... more like we massacred them. We overestimated their force size by a ton... Akron got away, unfortunately, so we're still at risk."  
"Well, it's good to see you made it out alive," Nack laughed.  
"Yeah," I laughed. "There was no way they were gonna take me down. The only big issue was that some mysterious explosion rocked one side of the building."  
"Hmm," Nack hummed, trying to keep himself inconspicuous. "Any idea what it may have been?"  
"We didn't have a clue at first, until we viewed the surveillance systems... The Sword's powerful, isn't it?"  
"Heh, well, I didn't have much of a choice right then," Nack laughed nervously. "Well, at least it looks like you healed up well..."  
Calia broke in. "I'm in the dark, what's happening?"  
I sighed. "Well, there's one bit of information I can't hide for much longer. That bullet wound was bad and wasn't going to heal any time soon. Time isn't on our side, and I had only one choice." As I said that, I took off my coat and left glove. Both stepped back in horror of what they saw. My left arm was no longer my left arm, and a metal, robotic one took its place. My shoulder was now a rotary ball of sorts. Where the humerous used to be was now of thinner metal like some sort of pipe, and where the ulna and radius would have been was now thick metal which connected directly to my "hand," which was just the same as the rest: metallic. As I showed it off, I bent my "fingers" and rotated it at different angles to show that it was just as flexible as the former had been. "It's quite amazing what modern technology can do today."  
"That's sickening..." Calia squeaked.  
"Yeah, I hate it when people do that!" Nack added.  
"I gave you my reason for doing it," I replied. "I had no choice."  
"What do you mean when you say 'Time isn't on our side?'" Calia asked.  
"Again, I won't hide it from you. Akron is hunting for us."  
"Great," Nack sighed. "Now what have you gotten me into...?"  
I slipped my coat and hat back on. "Doesn't matter; you're in it now. Not that you could have changed it anyways... Destiny, Nack. Destiny." I leaned on the balcony railing for a few seconds and gazed out over the horizon. "You can feel it, can't you, Nack?"  
He turned to me with a puzzled look. "What?"  
"The power in the Sword," I continued, "Chaos energy."  
Nack pulled the Sword from its sheath. "Are you kidding? It's downright addictive."  
I laughed. "I bet. So, you've become quite attached to it, I see."  
"It's the prettiest weapon I've ever seen," Calia commented.  
"It's also the most powerful, when in the right (or wrong) hands," I added.  
"I don't know anything about it," Nack said simply.  
"Well, I could see that," I laughed. "You have the swords-skills of a baseball player. Literally."  
Nack felt uneasy at those words. "You're going to take it away from me, aren't you? You're going to rob me of what I rightfully earned..."  
"Goodness, no," I replied humbly. "But I do have a plan."  
"What's that?"  
"Don't worry about that now. Right now, it's late, and I could use a good shower." I began walking down the hall, and halfway to our room I laughed back one more time: "Get some rest, Nack. You're going to need it."  
As the room's door closed behind me, Calia still stood there. Slowly she turned back to Nack. "Again, Nack, I'm sorry for blaming you for all of this."  
The lavender Weasel smiled warmly at the snowfox. "And again I say, it's OK, I forgive you."  
"Thank you," She answered meekly. For a few seconds she gazed into the full moon, and Nack could once again see the tears in them reflecting it. "You know, he showed me the true Light," she sighed, "And I don't know how I would have been able to live not knowing he were still here."  
"You know," Nack replied, "He would probably be happy to hear that right about now."  
Calia smiled warmly at Nack. "You're right. Why would I talk about how much I missed him if he's already here?" She turned and walked down the hall towards our room, and her gait seemed as light as a feather. She paused at the threshold and looked back over her shoulder one last time. "Sweet dreams, Nack."  
Nack simply nodded after her as the door slowly closed. Again he looked at the glowing highway and sighed to himself: "Sweet dreams..."  
  
Night went and morning came. Just an hour and a half shy of noon, Nack, I, and everyone else related by family or friendship in that place found themselves walking out to the middle of the brown, heat-beaten grass field just across the road from the Motel. I had a long but slender bag slung over my shoulder, and Nack was beginning to wonder what I had planned. He also wished to know why I had him hand over the Emerald Sword to Tim. Were we trying to steal it? Why couldn't he hold onto it? Those were two questions on his mind. The power of the Emerald Sword was like an addiction. It almost became a part of whoever held it over long periods of time...  
I set the bag down and took a few more steps forwards in the low- laying grass, feeling it out, making sure it was good for what I had planned At length, I was satisfied, saying, "Nice and flat, and fairly soft too." I instructed everyone but Nack to stand behind the bag and then took my standing a few feet away from Nack.  
"Well Nack," I started, "You're the owner of the Emerald Sword. And as I said before, you're sword-handling skills are sub-par... Err... to be perfectly frank, they suck.  
"Well, uh, thank you..." Nack answered, but it was clear that my words had grated on his nerves. He never particularly liked such criticism, but had learned to take it over his many years dealing with his employers.  
"Yes, well... it wouldn't be very fitting if the one who held that Weapon didn't know how to use it, right?" Nack nodded at my question. I answered: "Good, then I shall teach you!"  
He gave me a strange look for a few seconds, then laughed. "You? teach me? Heh, thanks but no thanks, I'm well off on my own."  
"Do you really think so after that last beating that Akron gave you?" I asked. "Seriously, I thought that he was going to put the Sword through you quicker than you would have touched him."  
"Alright," Nack sighed, resigned over to that fact. "Alright, I'll let you 'teach' me."  
"Excellent!" I said with a smile. "Then you're training starts today!" I glanced out over the small crowd, and for a second my eyes rested on Nova. "Our strengths make competition between us all, but they are our weaknesses that make community. Keep that in mind as you learn from me, Nack. Heh, I'll bet that after you get accustomed to the way of the sword that you'll make a nice fencing partner."  
"Sound's good to me," Nack said, "But how exactly do you plan to teach me?"  
"Easy," I answered, "By starting from the beginning. And every such lesson must start with a warm-up."  
"What kind of warm-up?" The Weasel asked with curiosity.  
"We will spar."  
For a few seconds he remained silent, then answered, "Spar? You mean we're gonna fight?"  
"Goodness no," I laughed. "I'm a martial artist, we don't fight like animals. Control, you see? When you spar you build up control so you don't thrash the other person senselessly."  
"But what if I hurt you?"  
"That's why you always see martial artist bowing to each other. It's a sign of respect, a way to say 'I'm sorry for hurting you' in advance, just in case."  
"But how can that be sincere unless you really do plan to hurt the other person?"  
"Good point," I laughed. "But you never really know someone until you fight them."  
"That's an interesting thought," Nack replied.  
"So, shall we get to know each other better?" I asked invitingly.  
He smiled, showing off his fang. "I'm ready when you are."  
"Good."  
Nack took the first move, if I can call it that. He gave me some big, elaborate bow, and I can't say that I didn't see it coming. Before he pulled himself up, he found that the ground was no longer what he was looking at, but rather the laces of my black shoe. He jumped back, realizing what had just happened, and looked at me as if I were insane. "I guess you never saw the movie 'You Only Live Twice,'" I laughed. "It's a true principle: Never take your eyes off your opponent."  
Again Nack bowed, but slower this time, and not as low and he kept his eyes locked with mine as I did the same. "Much better," I said.  
At the edge of the makeshift arena, the whispering of children could be heard. "Mommy?" Christine began, looking up to Calia, "Are Daddy and Uncle Nack fighting?"  
"They're just play-fighting, dear," Calia answered gently.  
"My Daddy can beat up yours!" Trent laughed out, mockingly.  
"Trent!" Crystal exclaimed, trying to quiet her child.  
"Cannot!" Christine called back at Trent.  
"Can to!" Trent replied.  
"Not!"  
"To!"  
"NOT!"  
"TO!!"  
"Children, that's enough!" Nack broke in.  
"Yes," I followed up. "We aren't going to beat each other up. Just sit down, be quiet, and watch."  
So, Nack and I fronted each other again, now free from distractions. I let him take the first offensive, and dodged and blocked a series of punches aimed at my face and chest. Then he unloaded with a pair of kicks, which I quickly raised my shins to block. I was then confronted with one of his more unconventional moves, his tail-kick. I jumped over it, but when I landed, I found a surprise waiting for me, a solid punch that connected with my chest. I let out a short yell as it connected and let the punch carry me through the air until my back met the grassy ground.  
Quickly I got back to my feet. "Are you OK?" Nack asked, worried.  
"You should know that it takes more than a single punch to phase me," I laughed. "Round two..."  
Again I let him have the honors of coming out first. He sent forth a left roundhouse kick, and I caught it with my left arm, trapping it to my body. But he was quick and countered with another tail kick. I jumped back to avoid getting hit, and as he charged again, I let forth one of my own attack patterns. I presented him with a slow left hook, which he easily stopped, but as he realized that the punch was stopped, he saw my right roundhouse kick coming in. He tried to step away, but the speedy kick was far to fast. Nack expected the worst, but found that my foot came to a rest on his ribcage with not enough force to crack an egg shell. He jumped back, shaken by that attack. "Don't do that!" he exclaimed.  
"Why not?" I asked. "Don't you trust me?"  
"You told me not to trust you!"  
"Another good point," I answered. "One more round..."  
This time, I went to Nack and unleashed a volley of punches of all varieties towards him. As he blocked them, he felt the power behind them and wondered if he failed to block how I could control it from smashing him. But rest assured, that wasn't an issue. I was wondering something similar before he blasted me with that one punch.  
Then I began my kicking assault. Two consecutive left roundhouses, one aimed for his legs, the second for his ribs, followed up by a right axe kick. He caught it right above his head and brought it against his side, holding it there with his arm. Now it was my turn to defend, but he couldn't put up much of a fight with just his right arm while I still had both of mine free. I say "just his right arm" because that's the way he was thinking; I guess I was lucky that he didn't think to use his legs or tail right then. But my luck was about to run out...  
I broke his grip on my leg and backed up. We circled for a few seconds, ready for pretty much anything. I decided to end it right then and there with one quick right jab. So I let the punch loose, targeted right for his nose. But something happened. Before I could either stop it from hitting him or bring it back if he blocked it, I found that neither were an option. There I was, with my right paw extended, so close to his face, but there was his gloved paw, holding mine in place. "Well," I said in a state of shock, "I can't say that I saw this one coming..."  
He finished up by twisting my arm, hard. I did what only came natural in that sort of situation and rolled with it. I was on my feet when he let go. "Good!" I laughed. "That was your point, no doubt! I'd like to know where you picked that one up."  
"Just lucky I guess," Nack answered sheepishly.  
"I prefer to leave as little up to luck as possible," I answered. "Now, to the real reason we're out here..." With that, I walked over to the bag and withdrew two wooden training swords from it. For about an hour that day, I began my teaching, starting with the basics. And as any swordsman can attest to, the beginning is never easy. Knowing how to hold the sword requires the use of muscles that aren't often used, and Nack was no different. But that's part of the training, to build him up. That day, I taught him how to hold it and some very basic slashes and blocks.  
"Feels like someone hit my arm with a truck," Nack said at the end of the session, rubbing his arm just below the wrist.  
"Trust me, I know," I answered. "It's nothing out of the ordinary. You just gotta keep at it and eventually there won't be any pain."  
"I don't think I could take another minute of that," He added.  
"Not today. But tomorrow you won't be saying that... err... actually you might... it's quite a bit of stress on your arm at first."  
"Great," Nack said sarcastically.  
"Ah, by the way, I'm taking it that you've gotten bored of this place, eh?"  
"Gee, how'd you guess?" Nack sighed dully.  
"I'm just good at that kind of thing," I replied. "Now, forgive me if I sound rude, but may we come back with you to Texas for a little while? It would be hard to teach you more if you weren't nearby. Don't worry, there will be no need for lodging."  
"I don't see any problems if that's the case."  
"Excellent! Well, what are we waiting for, let's get outta here."  
I, with Calia and my daughter by my side, began walking back towards the Motel, and everyone else followed close behind. Crystal wrapped her arm around Nack's shoulder and leaned on him gently, enjoying the walk back with her husband. But that enjoyment was short-lived. Nova ran up to Nack's side and asked, "Hey, can I drop by to visit for a while too? I'm taking a short break from my missions, and it's been a while since I've been to Texas."  
"Sure thing," Nack answered simply.  
"Great!" Nova said happily. "I guess I'll see ya there then!" With that, she ran ahead to the Motel.  
"Sure thing," Crystal mimicked quietly. Nack simply sighed, resigning himself over to the fact that he couldn't please them all.  
  
Two weeks had passed. We were back in Houston, Texas, and Nack was learning the sword quite quickly, not a surprise considering what a fighter he was. By that time, I had taught him well in the raw basics of sword- handling; blocking, slashing, footwork, and some thrusting. Things were going as well as I could have ever hoped, really... that is until that night.  
We had decided on what would have been a good storing spot for the Emerald Sword while Nack was learning the style: A small, bulletproof glass casing bolted to the wall which happened to be an exterior wall at that (not that Nack's small house provided much of another option). If I had known what a mistake that was, I wouldn't have let that Sword out of someone's hands...  
Nack was lying in bed that night, awake. Everything seemed so still, so right. Crystal's warm body was next to him, asleep, content, peaceful. Out his window, he could see the stars shining bright, and the crescent of the nearly- New Moon was beautiful.  
But from out side came a disastrous report to his ears. It started so simply, the sound of electricity being charged into a capacitor of great volume. Then, as the noise reached its highest pitch, a discharge, followed close by a deafening explosion and the frightful rocking of the house. All this was topped of by the sound of shattering glass...  
Nack flew up out of his bed, grabbed the P99, and ran out of the room. What Nack saw caused his jaw to drop. A massive section of the front wall was replaced by a thick screen of smoke and a gaping hole. This was caused by an anti-tank gun, no doubt. But the sight was even more frightful than that. Floating high off the ground outside was the form of Akron. He was encased in a thin, green ball of energy, and in his hands was the Emerald Sword...  
"Stop!" Nack yelled. Without hesitation, he took aim with the P99 and fired. All 16 of the 9mm Lugar rounds would have hit home in Akron's skull, but the green energy field stopped all of them dead in their flight. More shots rang out, Nic was by his side too. But her laser had no effect on the echidna either. The Weasels had no idea what was going on or what to do, but before long it became very clear that this was something evil... The sound of Akron's voice came to their ears... a chant.  
"What are you doing?" Nack demanded, but Akron didn't respond. Again and again he and Nic asked without his answer, and within a few seconds, Akron's intensity and volume in the strange chant increased. He raised the Sword above his head with the tip of the glowing Blade facing directly at the ground, and at the height of his chant's power and loudness, Nack could make out one very strong and final word... "LUCRETIA!"  
The two starred in horror as suddenly, from the carpet in front of them, rose a thick but small cloud of smoke. It floated into the sphere with Akron and hovered there for a few seconds before taking on a very familiar and distinct form, the form of that witch who was Nack's aunt, Lucretia. She floated there, decked out in a flowing, black garb, eyes closed. Suddenly they shot open and were focused on Nack's. She smiled wickedly and laughed. "'Dear' nephew! It's been a while, hasn't it?"  
"Lucretia!" Nack yelled. "You're supposed to be dead!"  
"Oh," She replied. "That's right. You put a bullet in my head... or was I the one to do it... Well, that doesn't matter any more because here I am, in the flesh, alive once again!" Her wicked laughter permeated the night, chilling Nack, Nic, and Crystal (who had risen and was now standing by Nack's side) to the bone.  
"I have to thank you," Akron began, with a smile that was equally wicked, "for putting this Sword in such an easy place for me to get. I know how to repay you, I'll let you live- at least for the night!"  
"Give it back!" Crystal cried out. "It isn't yours! You were never meant to hold it!"  
"Oh, that's where you're wrong," Akron replied. "I know the prophecies backwards and forwards, from the beginning to the end... and it was intended that I hold it!"  
"Give it back or I swear I'll take you down!" Nack snarled, fur bristling. At that moment, he looked as intimidating as anyone had ever seen that Weasel. If Akron were to have come within arms reach of Nack, I'm sure he would have torn him to pieces, or at least would have tried to very hard. But that wasn't the case.  
"Quite right," Akron said with a smaller smile. He began to run his bare finger across the magical blade, enjoying it's power in his hands. "But we'll see to what degree the prophecies hold their veracity. And if all you're going to do is bicker about how much you want this precious Sword back, I'm afraid that there's no reason for us to stay here and keep listening to you! Goodbye, Nack the Weasel!" With that, the green orb, Akron, Lucretia, and the Emerald Sword flew off through the sky and all Nack and Crystal could do was watch.  
My car pulled up in front of Nack's house shortly afterwards. "Nack!" I called out as I stepped out of the car, Tactical 12-guage in my hands. "I came as soon as I got a report that you're house came under attack! What happened?"  
"They stole it..." was all Nack said solemnly.  
"What?" I asked quietly, trying in vain to tell myself that he wasn't talking about the sword. But with his gloved hand, he pointed towards the sphere in the sky heading for the horizon, which was now looking like not much more than a bright, shooting star.  
"Impossible..." I whispered in shock. But reality took effect in my mind quick enough, and I could do nothing but accept it. I quickly walked through the hole in the wall and into the kitchen and began making call after call on the phone.  
"What are you doing?" Nack asked at last before I dialed in another number.  
With a downcast face I answered him. "I need to make preparations. We have got to leave this place as soon as possible. I don't want to sound irresponsible, so I have one option and that is to give you the truth: within the next forty-eight hours, the world is going to change. This planet is in for what may be the biggest war that has ever touched it."  
The two simply stared at me for a few seconds before Nack spoke. "That's a joke, right?"  
"Do you really think that this is a joke, Nack?!" I shouted in anger. I quickly realized that I lost my cool and apologized. "Look, right now it would just be best if you got together a small collection of your valuables and get ready to go. We'll be fortunate if we escape."  
They did so at length, but it seemed like an agonizingly slow process. They could tell that this was no joke, and fear was enveloping their hearts. Andre had been scared out of his wits once again, as were young Trent, Malik, and Gracie. This was a nightmare that none of us could wake up from. All I could do at that point was make calls, scrambling together as many flight transports to get whoever we could away from the area, hoping and fighting for as many as I could get. We had enough for Nack's family, Andre's family, The WCAs, my family, and a few others; it turned out that the Sword was taken at the absolute worst of possible times for transports. But we had no choice but to accept what we had gotten, and before noon the next day, we were all on our way at top speed to Europe...  
  
I was nothing short of correct. Within those 48 hours, everything changed. A hellish army of dead had arisen under the power of the Emerald Sword which rested in the corrupted hands of Akron and Lucretia. The States were hit first and were completely unprepared. Entire cities were stormed and destroyed. The Army tried to fight it off, but the threat was too widespread and powerful to be suppressed. Millions upon millions were killed by this evil force; Millions were homeless; and all felt destroyed.  
We wondered how this could be anything more than a horrible nightmare, but we all knew and had no choice but to accept that this was reality. "Why?" we asked. "Why had this happened?" We didn't know. Within less than a month, what was once a superpower of the world was reduced to chaos and destruction. We had grown to neglect our weaknesses, and that proved to be the most fatal weakness of them all.  
For three and a half years we trained up forces in Europe. We planned to launch a swift campaign to bring an end to the death-force, to Akron, to Lucretia... and at the end of this time we thought that we had a fierce and invincible army...  
We crossed the Pacific with hopes of destroying the force at it's apparent capital, San Francisco, California. But that proved to be a great and costly mistake. They had fortified the waters of that massive ocean, and we found ourselves at a horrible defeat. Most of our hard-trained force was utterly destroyed without even touching American soil. We who survived were beaten into a humiliating retreat back to the shores of Eastern Asia...  
This was the beginning of the rest of our lives.  
  
To be continued! Next Chapter... Dargor, Shadowlord of the Black Mountain 


End file.
